Exxonmobil Chemical Patents Inc.

Kendele S Galvan

Christopher Lynn Becker

Jörg F W Weber

John Joseph Monson

Teng Xu

Ashley J Malik

John R DeLaney

Helge Jaensch

Kirk C Nadler

Andrew R Witt

Amy B Batton

Kapil Kandel

John Slocum Coleman

Denise M Burcham

In some examples, hydrocarbon feed and a diluent such as steam are mixed, and heated. A vapor phase product and a liquid phase product can be separated from the heated mixture. The liquid phase product can be hydroprocessed to produce a first hydroprocessed product. A pitch and one or more hydrocarbon products can be separated from the first hydroprocessed product. The pitch can be contacted with a diluent to produce a pitch-diluent mixture. The pitch-diluent mixture can be hydroprocessed to produce a second hydroprocessed product. A hydroprocessor heavy product and a utility fluid product can be separated from the second hydroprocessed product. The diluent can be or include at least a portion of the utility fluid product. The vapor phase product can be steam cracked to produce a steam cracker effluent. A tar product and a process gas that can include ethylene and propylene can be separated from the steam cracker effluent.

Process for C5+ hydrocarbon conversion

Systems and methods are provided for increasing the portion of a pyrolysis tar fraction that can be hydroprocessed by using a physical particle size reduction process on at least a portion of the pyrolysis tar fraction. The physical particle size reduction process can reduce the percentage of particles in the pyrolysis tar fraction that have a particle size of 75 &#x3bc;m or greater, or 50 &#x3bc;m or greater. It has been unexpectedly discovered that at least a portion of the particles having a size of 75 &#x3bc;m or less, or 50 &#x3bc;m or less, can be effectively hydroprocessed to form products of greater value while still reducing or minimizing the amount of fouling or plugging in a hydroprocessing catalyst bed. By increasing the number of particles having a size of 75 &#x3bc;m or less, or 50 &#x3bc;m or less, while selectively removing larger particles from the SCT fraction, a higher yield of hydrocarbon products can be achieved for a feed containing an SCT fraction. This can reduce or minimize the amount of particulates that are disposed of by incineration or another disposal method for fractions that have a lesser value.

Processing pyrolysis tar particulates

In some examples, a vapor phase product and a liquid phase product can be separated from a heated mixture that can include steam and a hydrocarbon. The liquid phase product can be catalytically cracked in the presence of a fluidized catalyst to produce a catalytically cracked effluent. A bottoms product can be separated from the catalytically cracked effluent. The bottoms product can be hydroprocessed to produce a hydroprocessed product. For example, the bottoms product can be hydroprocessed under pre-treater hydroprocessing conditions to produce a pre-treated bottoms product and the pre-treated bottoms product can be hydroprocessed under bottoms product hydroprocessing conditions to produce the hydroprocessed product. A hydroprocessor heavy product can be separated from the hydroprocessed product. The vapor phase product can be steam cracked to produce a steam cracker effluent. A tar product and an upgraded steam cracker effluent can be separated from the steam cracker effluent.

In some examples, a vapor phase product and a liquid phase product can be separated from a heated mixture that includes steam and a hydrocarbon. The vapor phase product can be steam cracked to produce a steam cracker effluent. The steam cracker effluent can be contacted with a quench fluid to produce a cooled steam cracker effluent. The steam cracker effluent can be at a temperature of &#x3e;300&#xb0; C. when initially contacted with the quench fluid. A tar product and a process gas that can include ethylene and propylene can be separated from the cooled steam cracker effluent. The tar product can be hydroprocessed to produce a first hydroprocessed product. A hydroprocessor heavy product and a utility fluid product can be separated from the first hydroprocessed product. The quench fluid can be or include at least a portion of the utility fluid product.

Process for Chydrocarbon conversion

Disclosed are novel processes for the production of cyclic imide compounds such as N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI). The processes may be particularly well-suited for commercial-scale production of cyclic imides such as NHPI. Such cyclic imide compounds are suitable for use as oxidation catalysts, and specifically may be used to oxidize cyclohexylbenzene to cyclohexyl-1-phenyl-1-hydroperoxide. Such an oxidation may be particularly useful in a process for the production of phenol and/or cyclohexanone from benzene via a process comprising hydroalkylation of benzene to cyclohexylbenzene, oxidation of the cyclohexylbenzene to cyclohexyl-1-phenyl-1-hydroperoxide, and cleavage of the cyclohexyl-1-phenyl-1-hydroperoxide to phenol and cyclohexanone. The cyclic imide production process may advantageously include water washing and reactant recovery steps to maximize purity and yield.

Production of cyclic imides suitable for oxidation catalysis

Disclosed are a process for abating 3-cyclohexenone from a feed mixture comprising 3-cylclohexenone and cyclohexanone, comprising a hydrogenation step of contacting the feed mixture with hydrogen in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst under hydrogenation conditions to obtain a hydrogenated mixture, cyclohexanone-containing products comprising 3-cyclohexenone and/or 2-cyclohexenone at low concentrations, and compositions of matter useful for making such cyclohexanone-containing products, particularly by using such processes.

Cyclohexanone-containing products and processes for making the same

Disclosed are processes for abating 3-cyclohexenone from a feed mixture comprising cyclohexylbenzene, cyclohexanone, phenol, and 3-cyclohexenone and cyclohexanone, comprising feeding the feed mixture to a first distillation column and a hydrogenating a fraction from in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst under hydrogenation conditions. Hydrogenation can be carried out in a hydrogenation reactor separate from the first distillation column or in a hydrogenation zone disposed inside the first distillation column.

Processes for making cyclohexanone

Disclosed are processes for making cyclohexanone from a feed mixture comprising cyclohexylbenzene, cyclohexanone, phenol, 3-cylclohexenone and optionally 2-cyclohexenone, comprising feeding the feed mixture to a first distillation column and hydrogenating a fraction from the first distillation column in a hydrogenation reactor separate from the first distillation in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst under hydrogenation conditions. A cyclohexanone-rich upper effluent comprising 3-cyclohexenone and 2-cyclohexenone at low concentrations can be obtained from the first distillation column.

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Houston, TX, United States of America

Kendele S Galvan